Why did Trump sue YouTube? Social media platform to pay $24.7 million to president to settle lawsuit

YouTube has agreed to pay U.S. President Donald Trump $24.7 million in response to a lawsuit he filed against the streaming platform. The lawsuit filed in July 2021 was in response to the platform suspending the POTUS' account following the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot. According to the BBC, the POTUS accused the Alphabet-owned company of showing political bias.

"In light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, the Donald J Trump channel will remain suspended. Our teams are staying vigilant and closely monitoring for any new developments," a YouTube spokesperson said at that time.

Meanwhile, as per Monday's settlement, the streaming giant will pay $22 million to the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit organization in charge of a $200 million project to build a ballroom at the White House.

Another 2.5 million will be paid to other plaintiffs, which also includes the American Conservative Union author Naomi Wolf. The settlement was reached for the "sole purpose of compromising disputed claims and avoiding the expenses and risks of further litigation." YouTube did not admit to any wrongdoing.

Apart from YouTube, President Trump also filed lawsuits against X and Meta. However, the companies agreed to settle the lawsuit. In January, Meta agreed to a $25 million settlement, while the Elon Musk-owned platform X reportedly paid $10 million.

Many of President Trump's supporters took to social media to celebrate what they see as a victory.

"It’s incredible how much President Trump has done for America… And the world… In less than a year. Who else would be so generous and so dedicated to making our country great again!? There’s not another @POTUS like him! MAGA," one user said.

"President Trump amazes me every day. He's one step ahead of the crazy leftists, and blesses the country at the same time," another user said.

Others remain skeptical that the settlement will lead to any meaningful changes.

"This is great, but in reality, they suffered no consequences. They still operate the same. They still interfered in our elections by blocking conservatives. Business as usual for Google," one user wrote.

"We believe we changed the behaviour": President Trump's attorneys' response to the lawsuit settlements

🚨 BREAKING: YouTube to pay $24.5M to settle lawsuit brought by Trump over the suspension of his account.

Trump is using the money to fund the ballroom at the White House. Incredible.

“Trump’s share of the settlement—$22 million—will go to the nonprofit Trust for the National… pic.twitter.com/j1WRxmRpfo

— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) September 29, 2025

Attorney John P. Coale, who filed the three legal cases against the companies, shared in a statement to Al Jazeera that he's "very much so" with the outcome, as is the "president and the other plaintiffs."

"We believe we changed the behaviour," he added.

Meanwhile, in a statement published last week, YouTube claimed that it would be reinstating some accounts that it previously banned for sharing misinformation about COVID-19 and the 2020 election. The announcement was made in a letter from Alphabet's company to Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

"YouTube values conservative voices on its platform and recognizes that these creators have extensive reach and play an important role in civic discourse," the letter said.

Stay tuned for more updates.